WHAT IS PRESIDENT'S DAY ANYWAY? WHY IS IT A HOLIDAY?
February is the shortest month of the year. We’ve just finished wrapping up the holidays, so what’s next? Seven holidays are neatly tucked in this short 28 day month (with the exception of leap year, which so happens to be one of those holidays).Among one of these holidays is one that cannot go unmentioned-Presidents Day. Two of our nations greatest Presidents have birthdays during this month: Abraham Lincoln whose birthday is February 12th, and George Washington whose birthday is February 22nd. While we would like to remember all of the great presidents who served our country, this holiday celebrated the third Monday in February, honors only 2 of America's Presidents. There is something unusual about this photograph of Mount Rushmore, so no one will steal it.
Of all the holidays, Presidents Day is perhaps the most confusing federally observed celebration ever to hit the list of American holidays. First there’s George Washington Birthday (February 22nd), which is really George Washington Day; which is actually Presidents Day. Then there’s the fact that George Washington’s birthday is really on February 11th, 1732 under the Julian calendar. But in 1792 the calendar changed to the Gregorian calendar, changing his birthday to February 22nd. This is enough to confuse the nearest Rocket Scientist, let alone laymen like us. In order to simplify this holiday ordeal, allow me to present a few facts.
Washington’s birthday became a federal holiday in 1880.A proposal was made to name this holiday Presidents Day .when the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed in 1968, it was voted in that it remain “Washington’s Birthday”. Under the Uniform Holidays Bill Act in 1971, George Washington’s Birthday would be celebrated the third Monday in February. That also meant that his birthday would never be consistently on the same date. In 1951 a man by the name of Harold Fischer formed the president’s day committee in hopes that a day set aide to honor all presidents could be formed. The committee thought that the president’s inaugural date of March 4th (the original inauguration day) would be a good day to celebrate Presidents Day. The bill was voted own by the Senate Judiciary Committee, who had the final word regarding federal holidays! They felt that adding a third holiday so close to Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthday, would not be beneficial-thus Washington’s Birthday would also be known as Presidents day. By the time the 1980’s arrived, nearly one dozen state governments would recognize Washingt*on’s Birthday as President’s Day. Other states would recognize Presidents Day as Washington and Lincolns Birthday.
President's day is a federal holiday and more than a mire of confusion. It is set side to honor The Father of our Country and the first president of the United States. It is a day in which we should take a minute and reflect on a man who delivered The Gettysburg Address and signed a bill abolishing slavery. But it should also be a day to remember other great men who ran our country. I remember the day that I found out President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. My teacher announced that our president had been shot and killed. Even at the young age of 6, I remember heartfelt emotion and a great sadness for our president. There were other great presidents…and not so great Presidents with whom we would rather not remember their crooked ways and perverse life styles. But when it is all said and done; these were men-fathers, brothers, Uncles, sons-who were assigned one of the toughest jobs in the entire nation: to rule over our country as the United States President.
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